Accommodation and Fees in the Galapagos
Duration
We encourage all volunteers to stay as long as possible to maximize local and personal benefit. We encourage longer commitments by heavily discounting each additional week stayed. The minimum stay is 2 weeks and the maximum stay is 3 months.
Accommodation
Accommodation is provided by one of our carefully selected host families or in our volunteer housing. In our volunteer housing, breakfast is not included but you have access to our fully equipped kitchen facilities to cover your needs. Lunch and dinner is provided at your choice of various restaurants in town. You simply sign for your meal and we’ll pick up the bill at the end of the month.
Our host families have experience with outside culture and international living and provide an amazing immersion experience. You will have breakfast and dinner with your family. Lunch is at the above mentioned restaurants.
Participation Fee
Galapagos: $1700 USD for your first 2 weeks and $500 USD per week thereafter in Volunteer Housing OR with a Host Family.
100% of your participation fee is invested in our outreach programs as our overhead (administrative cost) is covered by other means. Of your fee, 55% is spent on your accommodation, food, and transportation needs, thereby directly supporting local families and their businesses.
The other 45% of your fee is your contribution to sustainable development in Galapagos. These funds are allocated annually among the different sectors we support, determined using an allocation key that is co-developed with our local partners in government and civil society. IOI supports sustainable development in Galapagos in 4 core areas: conservation, education, sustainable agriculture, and social development. In 2020, IOI also contributed additional spending for COVID aid in Galapagos on PPE, food subsidies, and public health programs.
In the past few years, the available funds have been distributed as follows:
Discounts are available for partners and families.
To book you need to pay a Reservation Deposit.
The deposit is deducted from your total program fee. Read our refund policy.
What’s Included
The project fee includes food (breakfast not included if the volunteer house accommodation option is chosen), full room and board, work permits, Galapagos visa (waiving the $100 USD National Park Entrance fee), local coordination and training at respective facility, local ferry transport from Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz to Isabela (and return), full access to our facilities, etc.—everything minus travel insurance (learn more here), personal expenses, your airfare, and the $20 entry fee to Galapagos (cash at airport).
* minors are not permitted to obtain the Galapagos visa meaning they will need to pay the $100 USD National Park Entrance fee.
Courses Offered On-Site
Emergency First Response (EFR): $120 USD
The Emergency First Response course encompasses adult CPR and first aid skills. Emergency First Response Primary Care (CPR) teaches participants how to respond to life-threatening emergencies. The Secondary Care (first aid) covers injuries or illnesses that are not immediately life threatening. Both courses focus on care through a combination of knowledge development, skill development and realistic scenario practice to make sure participants have confidence in their ability to provide care when emergency situations arise.
If the Emergency First Response certificate is something that you’d like to earn while in beautiful Galapagos, please contact us directly so that we can get this set up for you.
Puerto Villamil
Puerto Villamil is unique community on the south coast of Isabela Island in the Galapagos - located seven hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador. Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago but is home to only ~3000 people. The majority of its residents live in the port town and a small minority live permanently in the highlands on Sierra Negra Volcano as full-time farmers.
Aesthetically, Isabela is a sight to behold. The island boasts beaches that stretch miles along rocky, rugged coastlines teeming with exotic wildlife.
In the last fifteen years, Isabela’s economy has converted from one driven exclusively by its fisheries to one that is sustained almost completely by a nascent eco-tourism. IOI’s volunteer opportunities center around conservation and education efforts designed to protect Isabela’s still thriving but threatened natural habitats.
Accommodation Options
As a volunteer you have the option to stay at our volunteer house or with a host family. In both cases you will have a private bedroom and bathroom with a fan or air conditioning, hot water, dresser or closet, and potable water.
In our volunteer house you will share apartment-style living spaces including a kitchen, living room, porch, hot water, and AC. As part of our meal plan you will have your daily choice between 10 restaurants with which we partner for lunches and dinners (you will be responsible for breakfast and can use the kitchen to store and prepare food).
If you choose to stay with a host family, you will eat breakfast and dinner with the family and have lunch out at one of our aforementioned partner restaurants. Staying in a host family you will have the chance to learn how local people live, try local dishes, and practice or learn some Spanish. This unique opportunity facilitates the interchange of culture, language, and tradition with the aim to provide a memorable experience and a deepened understanding for both parties. Often deep and long-lasting relationships evolve.
